New turner help!!!!!!

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chiselgal

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Hi,
I'm a new turner and need help on getting started. I have taken a pen turning class and loved it!I have a mini Jet lathe and now need help with what i need to get started. Can anyone give me advise on what supplies i need and maybe a good site to buy these supplies.Thank you!!!
Pat
 
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First off welcome to the group. If you don't have any chisels yet I started out with the 3 piece set that P.S.I. sells called Benjamin's Best. I think the set runs about 70 bucks. You will need an assortment of sand papers and finishes for your pens. I would also recomend a set of calipers for fitting the pens.I know their is a ton more things you will need but I'm having a senior moment. Sure some others will chime in.
 
Welcome to the group! Opinions will fly, but the basics are usually what follows:
1. Chisels (gouge, skew, parting tool) PSI, woodcraft, CSUSA sell them. I started with the PSI starter kit that included the chisels. The kit was around 70 bucks.
2. Sandpaper grits (this will vary to preference) 120-12000. Lot of us use Micro Mesh from 1500 (400 grit)-12000.
3. Calipers all kind of these around. Get the digital one if you dont know how to read calipers. Lot easier.
4. Finishes Again lots of them. For these I would go to the finishing forum and decide there.
5. Facing tool this one is a personal preference to the turner. I use it, but others don't. your choice.

That should be the basics. Of course dont forget the Mandrel. When you order the kits, get the bushings for the type pen you are turning and drill bit. One set of bushing last you through a lot of pens.

Good luck in turning!
 
Welcome, Pat! My best suggestion is to call Bill Baumbeck at Arizona Silhouette ( www.arizonasilhouette.com ), Sheila Crosby at Pens of Color ( www.pocwoodworking.com ) or Fritz at Woodturningz ( www.woodturningz.com ). All three of these suppliers deal almost exclusively with pens and other small turnings. The big boys (Craft Supplies USA, Penn State Industries, Woodcraft, Berea Hardwood) deal in a much larger variety of wood working materials and supplies. They are very good, reputable companies, but I find that a new turner can use a little more personal hand-holding early on.

Also, both Bill Baumbeck and Russ Fairfield have excellent videos on penturning. These are well worth the money for a beginner. Russ's video is available at http://woodturnerruss.com/Video.html .
 
If you took a pen turning class, what did you use there? That would be a good place to start.
The sum total of the cost of all my chisels probably would not add up to the cost of one Sorby chisel.I buy mine at harbor freight,
$10.00 for a 12 piece set.
A pen mill is imperative even though they can be a pain.
You can buy a different mill for each pen style but you still won't have every one you'll ever need.
The set with the interchangeable shafts is the most economical, Igot mine from PSI but others have them.
I have found a 6" belt disc sander handy but not essential.
It will do couble duty for sharpening with a variety of belt grits available at a cost much less than bench grinders.
It also comes in handy for scuffing tubes.
Diamond stone is handy because it takes longer to ruin the edge of a chisel.
Good quality of assorted sandpaper(Klingspors cloth back if you can find it.)
They have "bargain boxes" on their site where you can buy it by the pound.various grits up to 400.
MIcro mesh sanding sheets(set of nine)
Finishing materials is a whole new ball of wax.I finished my first pens with CA from the flea market but later found out it was an expensive way to buy it.I like the Mylands 3 step system and for a beginner or anyone else it's a good choice.
You may try the down and dirty one step "friction polishes" but will eventually be dissapointed with the life span of the finish(one or 2 days)
Some leave the pen natural after sanding and burnishing using carnauba wax as a finish, this has been an accepted method for pen finishes for many years.
On line sources have a 2 oz bottles of CA for about 2/3 the cost of what you will pay at WoodCraft( they really cherish their pen turning stuff)
You'll need to decide what you want to glue your tubes in with.
If you are impatient CA is the way to go.
Others use polyurethane or epoxy,I'm the impatient kind.
A drill press comes in handy for blanks and I consider it essential but it would be possible to hand drill them,Possible but not easy.(or accurate)
some way to cut blanks.could be done by hand with a small miter box, but being a guy I like my bandsaw.(In refrence to Tim Allen)
Your shopping list can be overwhelming.
It will never be filled.
You still have kits, blanks(but a pair of old jeans makes a neat pen)Dust collector,drill bits,...
HAve fun.
 
Go to www.pennstateind.com. They will send you a catalog or view their products. They have some starter kits that have chisels. just placed an order with them. Buying another mini-lathe for the students. Now running four mini-lathes and two large Delta lathes. turning has taken off here at Spring Hill High School. Good luck and welcome.
 
Go to www.pennstateind.com. They will send you a catalog or view their products. They have some starter kits that have chisels. just placed an order with them. Buying another mini-lathe for the students. Now running four mini-lathes and two large Delta lathes. turning has taken off here at Spring Hill High School. Good luck and welcome.
 
Welcome to the forum and the IAP .

I think that just about everything has already been mentioned .
I do agree with Eagle wuth regards to the turning tools , I've been using an inexpensive set ($14.95 Cdn)now for over 3 years and they still haven't reached a state of unusefullness .
In defense of friction polishes , I think that it all depends on the brand that is used . I use a product from Lee Valley called "Turners Polish" (Behlan's in the US) and have found absolutely no problems with it at all . I have the habit of finisning a pen from start to finish (including assembly) all in one shot and have never experienced any problem taking a pen straight from the lathe to assembly as far as the finish is concerned . As for longevity , the pic below is of 2 pens that are in constant use every day , the Cocobolo pen has been in daily use for over 4 years now and the finish is still holding up very well (I've never done anything to it in those 4 years except change the re-fill) .
I hope that this will give you one more thing to contemplate .

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After reading my original reply, it may help if you told us what tools you have available to you.
Work space might help also.
I see by your profile you live in Ny Ny.
That also may have a bearing on what is recomended.(As far as space constraints)
 
Thank you for all your help!! Eagle your're right space is a big issue! I don't have alote of space so I'm trying to figure out where I'm going to put some of these tools. Anyone know of a good small drill press? Thanks again!!
Pat
 
O.K. Pat,
Now we are getting somewhere.
Lou might be a good source on working in "townhouse conditions" and I'm sure he'll jump in.
As far as a drill press goes.
More money will buy more accuracy, larger work surface, built in light etc.
Without naming brands, any bench top will do.
Stay away from those with a 2" quill travel.(they will work,but the first time you do a pen like a Euro style with a 2&3/8ths inch bottom barrel you'll remember my advice)
Look for one with a 3&1/8 or better travel.When you go shopping take a tape measure with you,many times the little info card does not list that specification.
Harbor feight has been a good source for decent drill presses for some.
I have a Ryobi 12" bench top and though I would like to upgrade it serves me well.
How about a little more info as to working space and available tools you have access to now?
One more thing,
Once you get a DP you will need something to hold the blank for drilling.
THis is one area where the tools you have available can help.
You can make your own as the ready made ones go for around $40.00 and I believe that is an unnecessary expense.
You just need somthing to hold the blank securely in a 90º position in refrence to the table which hopefully is perpendicular to the bit once it is chucked.
 
Pat,
I live in an apartment, and have to schlep everything out to the balcony to do any turning/drilling/etc. So for me, lighter and smaller is generally better. I purchased a small bench-top drill press from Harbor Freight for about $50 a few weeks ago. As Eagle mentioned, the really inexpensive ones have a very limited quill travel; mine only goes 2 1/8". While this is certainly inconvenient, I really didn't have the extra $50-100 to buy one of the bigger machines. I've done about five or six pens' worth of blanks with it so far, and had good results. However, I do have to drop the bit and/or raise the blank I'm drilling to make the hole go all the way through the blank. I just got the self-centering vise from Penn State Industries as a gift, and I hope it will make it easier to keep the block properly centered under the bit as I go through these gyrations. I hope to be able to get good enough at this hobby to eventually use it to fund the purchase of better tools, and when I do, the drill press will probably be replaced or repurposed (e.g., becoming a buffer/polisher/sharpener), but for now, it allows me to drill straight holes.
 
Pat,
I do my work in a 1 car garage, I have a delta 10" drill press. I use it for drilling the blanks, squaring the blanks with a pen mill and assembling the pen. it has a built in light.
 
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